CS CONNECTION


overwhelming the limited space of the CS/ SPD department. A particular problem was the small footprint and low ceilings in the sterile storage area, which limited the number of trays that could be stored, including loaner and consignment trays. Excessive stacking resulted in holes in wrap- pers, and subsequent reprocessing of instruments.


The decision was made to build a new CS/SPD department that provided the necessary space and equipment for safe and effective reprocessing. This included an improved sterile storage area that “can flexibly meet the future demands of the ever-changing healthcare reality for many years to come,” according to Juanita Burrell, AA, BA, CRCST, CER, Manager Sterile Processing.


“Our previous department was very dated,


so the hospital decided to build a new SPD from the ground up. Coincidentally, we


were able to move in on December 20, 2019, just before COVID,” said Burrell. Burrell also stated they evaluated several different vendors for storage shelving, who came in and performed presentations. One option that Burrell and her team evaluated was rolling shelves, which they decided would not work well based on the new space. The concern was that when staff members moved the shelves to gain access to trays, they would disrupt the work of other technicians in the area who would have to stop what they were doing and move out of the way.


The next option was open, wire shelving, which the team ruled out because of the risk for tears and holes in the tray wrappers, as Burrell explains:


“While the open shelves were the most


cost-effective option, the priority wasn’t saving money, rather, it was improving quality. If staff members pulled heavy trays off a wire shelf, there would be a


Illinois Masonic Medical Center


significant chance this action would com- promise the wrap integrity.”


Burrell had seen DSI’s instrument stor-


age system at the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) annual confer- ence and was impressed by the design. She invited the company to present, and the team agreed that it was the right choice for their new department.


“We compared the open, wire shelving to DSI’s shelving, which has solid shelves that can be pulled out to easily remove wrapped trays, within a virtual 3-D appli- cation,” said Burrell. “That really drove the decision home because we could see there was no risk for holes and tears with DSI’s solid shelving.”


Burrell and her team used DSI’s shelving solution to effectively organize their new sterile storage space. They have designated storage for trays by procedure type (e.g., orthopedics, gynecology), and specific areas for loaner and consignment trays. Burrell and Illinois Masonic Medical


Center’s Executive Director of Nursing Karen Kittle, BSN, MBA, NE-BC, have developed a poster presentation on the rebuild, which they have submitted to IAHCSMM for its annual conference. In it, they describe how their “future state vision” for their new department is now a reality with four sterilizers, four instru- ment washers, two cart washers, eight workstations and “an efficient storage shelving in a state-of-the-art facility that drives efficient workflow processes.”


Before After


How do you renovate or rebuild while still reprocessing? How can a CS/SPD team continue repro- cessing instruments when its department is unusable? That is the challenge Gordon Allan, Decontamination Services Manager, Manchester University National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust (MFT), Manchester, England, UK, faced while his department is forced to shut down for six months during a renovation.


The CS/SPD based in Manchester Royal nfirmary Hospital, a maor trauma center, also reprocesses instruments for four other hospitals: Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, University Dental Hospital of Manchester, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital (mater- nity hospital). The department averages one quarter of a million instruments per month.


Team 32 September 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


When Allan joined the CS/SPD team in 2020, the department was in the process of replacing its five sterilizers, which had become outdated. Taking a phased approach where they replaced one


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